Prosecutor’s General Office to answer why NSDC decision on Vanco not implemented

Yushchenko demands explanations

President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko asks the Prosecutor’s General Office to explain why the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on Vanco is not implemented.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, he claimed this opening a session of the National Security and Defense Council today.

“I would like to ask PGO, why this decision is not implemented, by which official, and at what level? And what measures will be undertaken by PGO to provide the implementation of this decision”, the President said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on June 4 President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko signed a decree on implementation of the NSDC decision of May 30. In particular, NSDC made decision to cancel the government’s decree on unilateral denunciation of the agreement with Vanco.

On May 21, the Cabinet of Ministers made decision about a unilateral denunciation of the agreement with Vanco on distribution of production. “The President’s decree openly indicates corruption of higher officials. The President wanted, by means of his decree, to force the government to return Vanco its license on Black Sea Shelves exploration. It was one of the most large-scale schemes, which was fulfilled in Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers has made a decision to unilaterally denounce the agreement with Vanco, despite the roofing and the attempts to use the Prosecutor’s General Office, which, after a meeting with the President, decided to appeal against the government’s decision to cancel the license”, Top Deputy Prime Minister O.Turchynov claimed. At the same time, the First Vice Prime Minister referred to provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution, in line with which citizens do not have to fulfill criminal decisions. O.Turchynov believes that the decision to return the license on exploration of strategic gas reserves to the off-shore company was a direct crime.

“I hope the American side, in its turn, will carry out an investigation into the corrupted scheme, by means of which they forced the American company to perform a role of an intermediary and to cover shadow economical interests”, O.Turchynov said.

In 2006 Vanco International Ltd. Won the first open contest and signed an agreement with the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in 2007 on the exploration of the Black Sea Shelf.

Yulia Tymoshenko’s government pulled Vanco’s license to explore a vast 12,900km field off the Crimean peninsula, citing concern that Gazprom could, through partners, gain a hidden interest in the project that was originally intended to diversify energy supplies by boosting domestic production. Ms Tymoshenko also suggested past governments might have compromised Kyiv’s “national interests” by yielding such a large field and unjustifiable proceeds to a single group.

On May 20 President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko signed a decree, with which he confirmed the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on creating an Inter-Department working group to probe into legality of the agreement on Black Sea Shelf exploration, concluded between the state of Ukraine and Vanco company. Raisa Bohatyryova headed the group.

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